However, the BJPs victory margin in Shahdol has been substantially reduced from 2,41,301 in the 2014 general election to 60,383 this year.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had frequented Shahdol to ensure that BJP retains the seat as he did not want to give any chance to his rivals to attack him, given that his party had failed to retain the Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat by-poll in November last year.